Elsewhere in Columbiana County

BOE approve millage move for stadium

March 7, 2013

SALINEVILLE- The Southern Local Board of Education voted unanimously to approve moving 2 mills within the10-mill limitation from the current expense allocation to the permanent improvements allocation at its meeting Tuesday night. The 2 mills is anticipated to generate approximately $164,000 for the district.

Superintendent John Wilson announced the millage was moved from the current expense fund to the permanent improvements fund for the district's stadium improvement project. According to Wilson, money from the inside millage is guaranteed money from the state and does not impact the school's general fund.

Wilson has hosted several public meetings to gauge the public's support for the unvoted tax increase the millage move represents and has found it to be generally well received.

The cost to homeowners with a home valued at $50,000 would be $22.97 a year and the cost to owners of a $150,000 home would be $66.91, according to Wilson's calculations.

"Take that and divide that by 12 and you're under $6 a month for a real estate property that is worth $150,000," said Wilson of the cost to taxpayers. He also stated that once the district has completed its lease to own program on the new stadium, taxpayers will see a decrease in the amount they pay.

"For minimal cost and moving those monies around we're going to be able to get a state of the art facility for our kids and our community," said Wilson.

In other business:

*Board approved recommendation that the treasurer submit a request to County Commissioners to decrease the Bond Retirement collection by a half-percent for the current collection period.

*Board approved the following hires: Ethan Blatch as 7th grade junior high boys basketball coach for the 2012-13 school year; Ashley Bergman as 8th grade junior high girls basketball coach for the 2012-13 school year; Emily Goerig as a substitute teacher; and Timothy W. Leist, vice president/architect of MKC Associates Inc., as project manager for the stadium project.

* The Board also accepted the following resignations: John Soldano, elementary art teacher; and Mary Jean Ludwig, elementary music teacher.